Voices
by Dongyrn
Summary: This ain't your typical Bumblebee love story… Yang decides to help Blake with her obsession over Torchwick and the White Fang's plans. And that's where things go very wrong. Alternate Season 2 Chapter 6 (Burning the Candle). Cover art provided by the magnificent mustachioedoctopus over on Tumblr!
1. Chapter 1: I May Fall

**Standard Disclaimer:** All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily the glorious minds at Rooster Teeth, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing.

* * *

 **Voices - Chapter 1: I May Fall**

Sometimes the best of intentions can lead to the kind of end that changes everything. A word misspoken, an action thought to be helpful… Even an encouragement where restraint might have better served.

Yang knew that her partner was stressed. Blake had been acting off ever since their run-in with Roman Torchwick and his giant mech, now just a collection of spare parts thanks to the efforts of their team.

But their limited success wasn't enough for the Faunus girl. She knew they were out there, plotting something…

Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss wanted Blake to go to the dance they were all planning, and while Yang knew she could get her partner to acquiesce eventually… Was that really in her best interests?

When Yang was upset about something, she needed to work it off. Whether it be exercise, sparring, heck just beating the stuffing out of anything at all was great stress relief.

So maybe that's what Blake really needed?

"Yang, if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well just save your breath," Blake began, pacing in front of where the blonde perched atop a desk. They were in a deserted classroom for privacy, though really this could have just as easily happened outside as well.

She just thought it best if Blake was more comfortable, with only the two of them.

"I don't want you to stop," Yang began, but then hesitated.

 _What will help her get through this? How can I be the best partner for her?_

"I want you…" the blonde continued slowly. "I want to help you."

"Help me?" Blake scoffed. "How? By making me go to this stupid dance?"

"No, by getting to the bottom of what the White Fang are planning," Yang retorted, her words flowing faster now that she had warmed up to the idea. "Let's go out, me and you. Let's track down where the dust is going, and take them down. Make an impact, interrupt their operations." She looked at her partner earnestly, her lilac eyes shining with warmth. "And then, after we take them down a peg or two… we can take a break. Maybe do a dance, maybe not. But we'd deserve some rest if we accomplish something."

Blake stared at her wordlessly, her own amber eyes holding back some unnamed emotion. "You'd do that for me?" she whispered.

"Hey, you're my partner," the blonde replied with cheerful confidence. "Ain't nothing I wouldn't do for you!"

"That's not enough of a reason," Blake murmured, unconvinced.

"Okay, look," Yang sighed. "I'm worried about you. I think you're likely gonna do this anyways, but I wanna make sure I'm with you when you do. I got your back, okay?"

Blake did smile then, the subtle little smirk that Yang always loved to see.

"Alright."

o o o

Blake crouched on the edge of the building, peering into the darkness ahead. Her exceptional Faunus vision allowed her to see far more effectively at night than any human might without artificial enhancement.

Some might say that ability made Yang's presence at her side irrelevant, but Blake would be quick to disagree. Her partner might have been of the opinion that she would have done this regardless of her support, but that simply wasn't true. Yang's presence there was far more important than the blonde realized.

All her life she had run away from her problems. Even ran from the White Fang when she realized there was no way for one Faunus girl to enact significant change within the organization by herself. When she let slip about her heritage to her teammates, her first reaction was to run. Her semblance, even, facilitated her tendency to run, leaving a shadow clone behind to take the hit so she might escape.

She was tired of running. And with the blonde at her side, a person who, incredibly enough, accepted her for all she was, perhaps she truly could stop running. Yang gave her the courage to stay and fight.

Perhaps she could stop trying to run from her feelings as well, and at least try to examine how much Yang meant to her.

She was startled from her reverie by the slight shift of the blonde bruiser and her murmured questioning. "Anything yet?"

Blake shook her head, belatedly realizing she wouldn't be able to see her in the darkness. "No, nothing. But I have a good feeling about this one."

"Okay," Yang simply replied with a nod. She was so trusting, so… confident in Blake's skills and experience. It was a little intimidating, to be honest.

They'd started in the early evening, scouting out several likely locations while tracking the triple-clawed marks that the White Fang liked to leave as indications of their activity. While they laid in wait at the fourth warehouse they'd investigated, the dance back at Beacon was ongoing. Yang had left a reassuring message with the others, who in turn promised they could handle the hostess duties without her.

She had a good team, truly. It wasn't just Yang, they all had her back and wanted to help her with this.

 _I am far luckier than I can easily explain, starting with a simple meeting in a forest over the corpse of an Ursa…_

It had been the second time she'd met Yang. The first, in the hall where all of the first years were bunking prior to initiation, hadn't really impressed her all that much. A buxom blonde who seemed rather flighty, even if she could easily see the affection between the two sisters. But once initiation had begun, she came across a whole new version of Yang.

Brash and confident, powerful and bold. A true warrior. And, were she to be honest with herself, terrifyingly gorgeous

She had not regretted her partnership once since that time, bad puns notwithstanding.

 _Far luckier than I should be, given the past I once led._

But that was why she was here, why Yang was with her for support. To right some of the wrongs of her past. Atonement.

Blake glanced to the side at some subtle movement, her amber eyes narrowed as she followed several shadowy figures as they dropped down to street level and crossed to the warehouse. Before long a truck pulled around the corner, headlights off, and the gathered figures quickly set to work in raising the loading dock door and carrying the boxes from the truck.

The dim light from inside the warehouse reflected dully off of the white masks of the laborers.

"Got you," she breathed. Blake reached out to clasp Yang's forearm, leaning further in so that her partner might easily hear her.

"Group of White Fang unloading a truck," she murmured. "I count ten, unknown how many inside."

Yang's brilliant smile would have been easy to see, even if she didn't have the vision of a Faunus. "Then let's go kick some ass."

Blake grinned back, squeezing the blonde's arm before rising to her feet. She grabbed hold of Yang's hand to lead her out of the shadows and over to the edge where distant street lamps gave them at least a little bit of illumination.

Wordlessly she dropped to the street level and raced off across to the next corner. A quiet thud from behind indicated Yang was right on her heels. Watching her back, just as she promised.

Seeing how they were concealed by the truck still pulled up to the dock, Blake darted forward and crouched just by the front bumper. Yang skidded to a quiet halt next to her, lilac eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ready?" Blake mouthed to her, slowly drawing _Gambol Shroud_ from her back.

Yang gave her a cheeky wink and flexed her hands, dropping _Ember Celica_ into place.

They each darted around a side, quickly taking the White Fang grunts by surprise. It was almost laughably easy to bring them down, all ten of them, and deposit them into the still half-filled truck, locking the door securely.

With a quick nod to each other, the pair of huntresses-in-training moved ahead like shadows, further into the warehouse.

"You hear anyone else?" Yang breathed next to Blake's ear.

The Cat Faunus shook her head. "Nobody at all," she murmured. They'd gotten to the center of the warehouse by now and stood, looking around in a circle.

The blonde let out a low whistle. "That… is a whole lotta dust."

Blake nodded numbly. Shelves were stacked with crates marked primarily with the Schnee Dust Company logo. As she peered closed, it seemed as if the predominant type was the explosive red dust, the kind which Yang most commonly used.

"Why would they need this much?" she wondered aloud.

"We could tell you," a low voice chuckled. "But then we'd have to kill you." Down at the far end of an aisle of shelves, along the wall of the warehouse, a large figure stepped out wearing the mask and uniform of the White Fang.

"Oh, who am I kidding," he continued jovially. "We're gonna kill you anyway."

Blake spun about as movement began to filter through her senses, large groups of assumed White Fang grunts spreading throughout the warehouse to surround them.

 _Dust damn it all… rookie move, Belladonna, well done… and now you dragged Yang into this…_

"I'm sorry, Yang," she sighed to her partner.

"You kiddin' me?" Yang laughed joyously. "And here I thought this was gonna be boring. I'll take the right and you take the left?"

Blake grinned at her over her shoulder, bolstered as always by the blonde's indefatigable confidence. "You're on."

The Faunus girl nimbly leapt across, skipping off of one of the shelves to land just in front of a group of White Fang soldiers as they rounded the corner. She swept their feet out from under them, slashing out to disable the fallen grunts for good measure before charging forward once more. Behind her she heard the battle cries of Yang as she hammered her way through those on the other side.

She slid in on her side, bowling over another pair of the enemy and giving them vicious kicks to the sides of their heads. More soldiers were pouring in, and she realized that if she overextended herself she'd be cut off from Yang. With a quick backflip, leaving behind a shadow clone for good measure, she jumped up on top of the shelves and took off running.

 _Where are they all coming from? What is this, a convention or something?_

Blake deftly dropped onto the head of a rather large bear faunus, twisting as she fell so that she would land on top of him. The sheath in her hand made a loud _crack_ as it slammed against his skull, knocking him senseless.

"Yang!" she shouted, trying to focus on where the majority of the explosions were coming from.

But there were far more explosions that could be attributed to Yang alone. She saw a pair of struggling figures fly past a cross-section of the shelves, her blonde partner engaged in furious combat with the White Fang soldier who had spoken to them, likely their leader. He had some sort of close-ranged shotgun in one hand that doubled as a club, and he was sending out reckless shots to try and bring Yang down.

Carelessly firing off explosive rounds within a warehouse filled primarily with red dust…

"Yang!" she screamed again, far more urgently as she raced forward after the pair. A few grunts tried to impede her progress, but she easily batted them aside as the mere nuisances they were. She headed deeper into the warehouse, desperate to catch up with her teammate.

And then the floor beneath her shook as a shelf full of dust began to detonate ahead of her.

"Oh, no," she breathed, skidding to a halt. She couldn't find Yang, and the entire place was about to go up and leave a crater the size of a city block…

As she spun helplessly in place, she was suddenly tackled from the side by a blonde figure. Yang's eyes glowed a bright red, and her luxurious mane was aflame, matching the fiery explosions that were spreading through the warehouse, up the walls and across the ceiling.

Yang wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl, draping her body over her torso and tucking her head into her shoulder. "I got you, Blake," she whispered.

 _You always have, Yang..._

And that was her last conscious thought for quite some time.

o o o

When Blake woke once more, it was a slow and gradual process, as if she had to struggle through massive underbrush to reach clarity. When she could finally make out her surroundings, she cautiously kept her eyes closed still.

 _Hospital? I can hear… beeping. Machines, liquid dripping… There's something pinching my arm, I think? And… my legs are sore. Sheets over them are irritating. And I think my bow is gone... dammit..._

Eventually she pushed outwards and sensed other people in the room, soft voices conversing across the way.

 _Ruby, and… Weiss?_

Finally, with a gargantuan effort, she managed to peel her eyelids open, blinking at the harsh overhead lights. The Faunus girl hitched a breath at the effort it took to move her head ever so slightly to the side where she'd heard the voices.

"Blake!"

The diminutive brunette team leader leapt to her feet from the couch where she'd been lying against Weiss. The heiress scrambled towards her as well, the both of them hovering over her anxiously.

"How are you?" Ruby asked worriedly, her eyes red and bloodshot. "Can you… Are your legs feeling okay?"

Blake frowned slightly and attempted to clear her dry throat, but all it did was cause her to cough weakly. Weiss quickly brought over a glass of water, carefully lifting the straw to her cracked and dry lips.

She gratefully took a long sip of the tepid water before moving back slightly. "Legs?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Oh, yeah…" Ruby glanced down at the end of the bed. "Your legs were… well, they were burned pretty badly. Doctors healed you up, but they were worried about some loss of… I dunno really."

"They thought you might have lost some nerve endings," Weiss interjected smoothly. Blake noted absently that the heiress' eyes were just as bloodshot as Ruby's. "Hopefully they were able to fix everything."

"How… long?" she managed next.

"Um…" Ruby looked down at her feet. "Four days."

Blake blinked her eyes uncertainly. She'd been out for four days? But that didn't explain why just Ruby and Weiss were here. If Yang was hurt as well, then at least one of them should be with her.

"Yang?" she whispered.

Ruby's lower lip trembled as she tried to speak, but could only shake her head and turn away, her arms crossed tightly around her middle and her shoulders beginning to tremble.

Her white-haired teammate laid a gentle hand on Blake's arm, ice-blue eyes swimming with tears. "She… didn't make it."

 _No… that's not… That isn't possible, Yang can't die, she's… she's invincible, she was right there with me, she… she shielded me and protected me… from…_

 _Oh my Oum, she sacrificed herself to save me._

Her sore frame was suddenly wracked by sobs as her world fell apart. She closed her eyes against the hot tears that flowed down her cheeks, and felt Weiss lean down to carefully envelop her in a hug. And then she felt as well Ruby leaning in on the other side, and both of her shoulders were soaked from the tears as they all mourned the passing of the sun.

o o o

Blake felt drained, emotionless and empty. The doctors had come and gone, inspecting her and cheerfully letting her know about her remarkable recovery, far better than they had expected. They praised her exceptional aura healing and told her that she was sure to be released within the next few days, even though she'd need to remain on bed rest for at least another week.

Her bow was back in place on her head, Weiss having thoughtfully brought another one from their room for when she awoke. It was a nice gesture, even though the infirmary personnel all knew about her Faunus heritage anyway.

None of it mattered.

 _It's all my fault. She'd still be here if I hadn't… if we didn't go to that warehouse. I might as well have killed her myself._

Both Ruby and Weiss, still tearful but without an ounce of reproach for her actions, had finally left at the end of visiting hours. Left her alone with her own guilt.

 _*Oh, stop beating yourself up.*_

Blake drew in a shocked breath as she looked around the empty room. That was _not_ her own voice. "Great," she sighed. "Now I'm hallucinating. Just what I need."

 _*Hey, it took me a lot to even figure out how to talk to you, don't just blow me off already.*_

"Who's there?" she whispered harshly. "This isn't funny, show yourself!"

 _*Well, that's gonna be a little hard to do, kitten.*_

Blake let out a strangled gasp.

 _That's… impossible… Yang?_

 _*"I'd say in the flesh, but that'd be a lie.*_

"What…?" The Cat Faunus screwed her eyes closed, shaking her head from side to side. "No… no no no that isn't possible, I'm… I must be going crazy, there's just no way…"

 _*I dunno about the crazy bit, buuut… it's certainly different.*_

"How are you in my head?" Blake hissed angrily. "How can you even _be_?"

 _*Never been accused of bein' the most book-smart of the team, I think you and Weiss fight for that title. But, if I had to guess… maybe you absorbed me? Or… maybe my aura, and I just came along for the ride?*_

The doctor's words came back to her, regarding her miraculous healing from her injuries, her exceptional aura levels…

It was difficult to deny it, though, the voice in her head was most certainly that of a certain blonde bruiser who she'd just been told was a burned corpse.

"What the fu-"

 _*Hey, language, kitten, I've had a rough day.*_ Yang's voice was filled with her usual good humor, even if it was tinged slightly with a bit of panic.

" _You've_ had a rough day?" she screeched, quickly lowering her voice back down to levels that wouldn't cause a Wolf Faunus to howl. "You're supposed to be _dead_! How are you… What…"

 _*Easy there. Don't really get it all myself yet. But… looks like we're still partners?*_

Blake lowered her head back to her pillow.

 _This must be what going mad feels like._

 _*If it is, I guess we'll find out together, huh?*_

* * *

 **A/N:** Whelp, like the synopsis said, this ain't your average Bumblebee love story. Couple of notes to make here. For starters, I don't anticipate on this going on for too many chapters, I don't have it fully fleshed out yet but there's a definite end in sight. As of right now I'm thinking only five, but it might be more. Also as of right now I'm going to try and keep this to a weekly posting schedule. But, if you've followed my other stories, you should just how well I adhere to that… And this also will make the fifth ongoing story I'm working on at once. I think I have serious issues, or at least a slightly masochistic tendency.

This is definite AU as it diverges from the RWBY storyline within Season 2 Chapter 6, _Burning the Candle_. I think you'll probably recognize the exact point it goes off-script.

So, what would you do if one of the most important people in the world to you ends up in your head, right in the middle of all those unresolved feelings? Guess we're gonna see how Blake takes it…

Lessee, anything else… Oh! I need some nice Bumblebee art for the cover. Any volunteers for something simple? I suck at trying to contact artists to use their work, I was amazed mustachioedoctopus actually got back to me regarding the Purruby art for _A Thorny Tangled Triangle_...

Thanks for taking the time to read. Please do drop me a review and let me know what you think so far.

Stay shiny!


	2. Chapter 2: All Our Days

**Voices - Chapter 2: All Our Days**

Blake stared sightlessly out of the window of her recovery room in the infirmary. The sun was shining brightly outside, the morning after she'd woken up from the incident at the warehouse. Four days after said incident, actually, and miraculously healed up for the most part due to her newly-increased aura levels.

Oh, and her dead partner was in her head. Let's not forget that little tidbit.

 _*Now you're just being overly dramatic.*_

The Cat Faunus sighed, her brow furrowing slightly, as she continued to gaze listlessly out the window.

 _*Still ignoring me, huh? Not gonna make me go away, ya know.*_

 _I'm not ignoring you._

 _*Remarkably enough, I got this whole new ability to sense Grimmshit. Comes from bein' inside your pretty little head.*_

The comment made her blush slightly, more than Yang's normal flirtatious antics would have were she alive. Perhaps it had to do with the tangible emotional content that was attached?

Not something she wanted to dwell on right now, push it to the side and hopefully she wouldn't… go digging.

 _*Look, I know this has gotta be… difficult…*_

 _Difficult?_ she repeated scornfully. _DIFFICULT?! You're dead, Yang! Dead! And it's my fault you're dead, and now I can't even deal with my guilt with you being… in here!_

 _*_ That's _what's bothering you, dealing with the guilt?*_

"Among other things," she muttered out loud.

 _*Right.*_ Yang's mental sigh whispered through her brain like gentle breeze. If she weren't so agitated, she might have actually enjoyed the feeling. _*Whelp, I can at least help some with that. This ain't your fault, kitten.*_

 _How can you-_

 _*Nope, you get to sit back and listen to me. And listen really good, okay?*_

Blake rolled her eyes. "Fine," she murmured.

If there were any cameras enabled in her room, she'd likely be written up soon for a psychiatric evaluation.

 _*Do you trust me?*_

 _Of course I do, what kind of question is that?_

 _*Then why can't you trust me to have made my own choice?*_

The Cat Faunus blinked her eyes uncertainly. _What do you mean?_

 _*I mean that I acted under my own free will. You didn't force me any. I made the choice to follow you, and I made the promise to watch your back. And I did. We were gonna be huntresses, Blakey. It's a dangerous job we signed up for, and this was gonna happen someday. At least I went out saving your life, which made it all worth it.*_

"How can you even say that?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears once more. _Your life was_ not _worth less than mine!_

 _*And I say it was.*_

Blake sighed again, brushing the tears from her cheeks. It was all so incredibly unfair, no matter what Yang said she would still be here if it weren't for her. Yang shouldn't have been the one to die. If anyone should have lost their worthless life, it should have been her.

 _*Stop thinking that kinda stuff,*_ Yang said without any rancor. _*You're not worthless.*_

 _After everything I've done…_

 _*Doesn't mean shit. You had worth to me. Don't make what I did mean less.*_

 _What do you mean?_ she asked once more.

 _*If you were worthless that'd make my sacrifice worthless as well, right?*_

Blake let out a soft laugh of surprise. _When did you get so wise?_

 _*Eh, I'm full of surprises, kitten.*_

 _No doubt. So… what now?_

 _*You got me. First things first, though…*_

 _Right._ Blake sighed once more, a bit more despondently this time. _What do we tell the others?_

 _*...That you picked up a hitchhiker?*_

Blake couldn't help it, the giggle that soon cascaded into a helpless laugh. _Oh my Oum, Yang… Seriously, I know this isn't going to affect you, but I have to figure out what to do the next time I see Ruby and Weiss._

Her questioning was met by silence. A silence that was starting to be tinged with… anger.

The Cat Faunus, confused, began to run through what she had just said in her head, and then paled as she realized her poor choice of words.

 _Yang… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that about affecting you…_

 _*How do you think this is like for me, Blake?*_ Yang's voice in her head was harsh, as if she were attempting to restrain herself from screaming. Blake winced at the effort, feeling the rage bubbling under her own skin like a fever.

 _Yang…_

 _*It sucks, okay? It sucks ass! All I've ever had was my body, my… Being physical, fighting, or my looks, or… And what do I have now, huh? My fucking_ brains _? That's all I have left to me, that's what I have left to get by, the weakest part of me to help you survive?*_

 _Stop it!_ Blake tried to shout internally over Yang's ranting, her voice thundering inside her head. _Your brawn and your good looks weren't your true strength!_

 _*What?*_ the former blonde scoffed. _*What else was there, huh?*_

 _Your heart._ Blake softened her voice. _The way you can encourage people, bring out the best in them with nothing but a smile and a couple of encouraging words. You're not just the fire, you're warmth personified._

Yang was silent for a few moments once more, but this time it was more thoughtful.

 _*Is that how you think of me?*_

 _Yes,_ she blushed lightly.

 _*Huh. Well… okay, then. Um, sorry for going off like that.*_

 _Like you said before, it's been a rough couple of days. We're both… adjusting. And besides, I'm used to you getting_ Yang _ry._

The peal of laughter inside her head made her smile softly.

 _*Oh my Oum, kitten, am I gonna start rubbing off on you now?*_

 _I could think of worse things._

o o o

"I don't understand," Blake murmured, staring at the picture on the scroll in front of her. "What does this mean?"

She'd recognize the man anywhere, of course. How could she not? At one time in her life, he was the most important person to her.

At one time, she would have died for him.

"This is a surveillance photo taken from the rooftop of a bank," Ozpin explained gently. The headmaster had visited her on the day she was to be discharged from the infirmary, both to facilitate it and to go over the statement Blake had made a few days ago as to her activities on that fateful day. "They had just installed cameras up there a short while ago, it's likely he didn't know they were there. You do know him, correct?"

The Cat Faunus nodded slowly. "Yes, I do… but why are you showing me this?"

"Because, if the time on this picture matches up with your earlier account, he is staring right at the rooftop you and Miss Xiao Long were on."

Blake's blood ran cold. There was no way Adam hadn't recognized her. He had seen her, and then set up an ambush.

He tried to kill her.

He _did_ kill Yang.

Blake's fingers curled into fists as she trembled with the effort to contain her rage, though she knew it wasn't just hers that was coursing through her.

 _*That fucking bastard… And I can't even go kick his teeth in, that… that… Argh!*_

Ruby and Weiss were there as well to help her to their room later, the both of them sitting on the couch close together. "Blake?" the petite brunette whispered worriedly. "Are… you okay?"

"No," she whispered harshly. "No, I am not."

o o o

She was back in her room now, curled up on her bed with a novel in her hands. A pose she'd taken so many times in the past that it was almost second nature to assume this position without even thinking about it.

But there was no way for Blake to concentrate on her reading, not with the chaotic swirl of thoughts running through her crowded head.

And it didn't help that she kept expecting a certain blonde mane of hair to drop down from above to spout something silly or flirtatious or… just anything in the way that Yang always did.

The little things that would always light up her day.

 _*Aww, that's so sweet, kitten.*_

Blake gave a soft snort of laughter as she blushed. _Stop listening to my private thoughts._

 _*Well, if you could manage to maybe, I dunno,_ keep _some of those thoughts private, I might figure out the difference, y'know?*_

The Cat Faunus sighed and shook her head slightly, though she froze when she realized her action had attracted the attention of a certain observant heiress across the room. Both Weiss and Ruby were keeping her company while they did their homework.

Blake had a pile of it to catch up on herself. She simply knew any attempt at concentrating on such would be ultimately futile.

 _*Weissicle is gonna pick up on us soon enough. Figured out what yer gonna say yet?*_

 _No, I'm still… trying to decide on that._

The problem, as she ascertained it, was that coming right out and telling her teammates that Yang was inside her head... Well, it sounded insane. And considering the fact that she'd recently come out of a coma, there wasn't a better or quicker way of finding herself back in that infirmary than just blurting out the truth.

 _*I think you're selling Rubes a bit short, ain't ya?*_

 _Perhaps not Ruby, but Weiss?_

 _*Hmm, okay, maybe. Still, it's… It sucks to see my little sister hurting like this, y'know?*_

 _I do know, Yang, and I'm… I'm so sorry she's going through this._

 _*But the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be.*_

Blake sat her book down with an irritated huff. _I know that, Yang! And I get how difficult this is for you to just… sit back and watch, alright? I do, truly. But I have to… No,_ we _have to do this correctly._

 _*Y'know what's the worst?*_ Yang asked after a moment's pause. _*I'm never gonna get to feel her arms around me again.*_

Blake stifled a sob as she brought her hands up to her mouth. _Oh, gods, Yang…_

 _*No, it's… It's alright, I shouldn't have brought that up, I don't want you to feel any more guilty, okay?*_

 _Still-_

"Alright, Blake," a firm voice sounded from next to her. "Talk."

The unusually unobservant Cat Faunus started as she was suddenly made aware of a certain heiress who was now perched on the edge of her mattress, a concerned but unyielding look on her face. Her head swung the other way as Ruby climbed onto the foot of her bed, looking equally concerned, though her eyes were still slightly puffy from crying herself to sleep the previous night.

 _*More likely she's been going off to cry when nobody's looking. She hates to have others worrying for her.*_

Blake sighed, trusting in Yang's knowledge of her sister. "Ruby, have you been crying again?"

"I…" The brunette girl sighed, and stared down at her hands twisting together in her lap. "Yeah," she admitted in a small voice.

"You know you don't have to go away, we're here for you," Blake reminded her in a warm voice. "Always have been and always will be."

Ruby nodded, sniffling slightly even as a small smile crept across her face. "You sound like Yang," she whispered.

The raven-haired girl stiffened at the comment. _Oh no, am I becoming that obvious? Are you really rubbing off on me like that?_

 _*Dunno. Don't need to sound like it's as bad as all that, though.*_

 _Says the pun master. Oh, Dust, what if I start cracking bad puns now?_

 _*Hey, now, those were always awesome puns!*_

 _Really, Yang? Really?_

"Blake!"

She turned her head, startled once more at the insistent tone in Weiss' voice. "Er… sorry, what?"

"Have you been listening to a word I said?" the heiress huffed, crossing her arms and glowering at her.

"No, Princess, I guess I haven't," she retorted sarcastically. "Been a little preoccupied, so sorry."

Instead of rebutting with an angry retort of her own, Weiss' eyes got wide as she extended a finger towards her. "There! That right there is what I'm talking about. What is going on with you, Blake? Ever since you've woken up, you've been acting… oddly. A lot like Yang, if you ask me."

With a groan, Blake dropped her head back against the wall with a _thunk_. "I appreciate the concern, but… it's nothing I can talk about just yet, okay?"

"But-"

"Really, Weissicle, it's alright."

"There it is again!" Weiss barked, poking Blake in the side. "Only Yang ever called me that! Same with 'Princess'!" She leaned forward, her ice-blue eyes intent. "Please, Blake, will you please tell us what's going on?"

"We're worried about you, Blakey," the other girl spoke up softly. "Don't shut us out, okay?"

Blake sighed and closed her eyes. "I would never do that, Rubes…"

Ruby leaned forward and placed a small hand on her leg. "But why do you keep sounding like… like Yang?" Her voice hitched slightly when she said her sister's name.

 _*Just tell them, kitten.*_

"I'm trying to," she murmured out loud.

"Trying to, what?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"To… to tell you…" Blake kept her eyes screwed shut, willing the fearful tears to hold back. _I can just tell them, they're… like my family, I can tell them this and they won't think I'm crazy… hopefully…_

"So, after you left, that night I woke up," she began quietly. "I… Well, something happened. Or more like, I realized something… No, that isn't right… Argh!" She let out a very Yang-like cry of frustration, clenching her fists up to her temples. "Why is this so difficult?"

She felt Ruby move up next to her and drape a reassuring arm around her. "Just say it, Blakey," she brunette murmured. "You know we're not gonna judge or anything. We're here for you."

"Right." Blake dropped her hands and opened her eyes to stare at them in her lap. _Just get it over with._ "When Yang… died, she didn't… completely die."

"She… what?" Weiss gazed at her in confusion, while Ruby jerked back and brought her hands up to her mouth in shock. Interestingly enough, it seemed as if the younger girl was catching on faster.

Blake lifted up one hand helplessly, palm up, before letting it fall once more. "Somehow, I don't know how… her aura transferred to me. It's why mine increased so much, and how I healed so quickly… and… and I have her inside of me, too."

"Inside of you?" If anything, the heiress looked like she might pass out from the shock of what she was disclosing. For her part, Ruby had her eyes tightly shut, the tears flowing down her cheeks and across the hands she still had clamped over her mouth.

Blake had no choice but to plunge on, she'd come this far. "I'm so sorry… I know it sounds crazy, and I thought maybe I was at first, but… she's here, inside me. I can talk to her."

Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her face with her sleeves. "Can she hear me?" she asked in a broken whisper.

"Yeah, she can."

 _*Tell her, she ain't getting rid of me that easy…*_

"She says… you ain't getting rid of her that easy," Blake said softly, unconsciously following her partner's speech patterns. "I always had your back, same as you did me, and ain't nothing gonna come between us, okay Rubbles?"

The petite brunette choked out a wordless sob and flung her arms around Blake's neck, her tears quickly soaking through her shirt.

 _*Oh my Oum,*_ Yang's broken voice said in wonderment. _*I can… I can feel her, oh Blake, I can feel her arms around you… around us…*_

Blake let out a happy sob of her own, unable to keep her emotions in check with the mental bawling Yang was now doing in her head. She just clutched Ruby as close to her as she could, stroking her hair back like Yang used to do when she was little and climbing into Yang's bed to help chase away the night terrors.

With a start, Blake realized she was viewing the memory as her own. She could tell it wasn't, it felt… different somehow, slightly off, but it was a memory now in her head.

"Blake, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Weiss asked, her face still incredulous but obviously accepting in the face of Yang's words.

The Cat Faunus gave a small, hesitant laugh. "I wasn't sure how to without sounding, well… insane."

Weiss just shook her head in wonderment. "Well, I certainly can't blame you for that…"

Blake nodded. "This is going to sound even weirder, but… I'm going to… withdraw a little bit? Yang needs some time with her sister."

The heiress just nodded, observing with cautious eyes as Blake closed her eyes and relaxed into Ruby's embrace, letting Yang have her moment.

 _You deserve this, Yang…_

 _*Thanks, kitten.*_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmmm, those feels though… They run strong in this story. So now Blake and Yang have a target for their anger. Even though they still have plenty of issues to work through, at least the rest of the team knows. Though, again, that adds even more issues to the whole pile…

So, we have cover art now, provided by the magnificent **mustachioedoctopus** over on Tumblr!

And yeah, I said weekly postings didn't I… Sigh… I've already written through chapter 4, just editing and reviewing now before writing the final chapter. Sooo… maybe once every other day? Maybe? Ah, who knows, as usual I'll post 'em when I post 'em. Many thanks for reading so far, and also for the favorites and follows! Reviews of all kinds are always welcome!

 **Eterya:** I am indeed taking some liberties here with Aura, but also some of this will work out over the course of the story. Glad you're enjoying it so far!

 **AntonSlavik020:** Hey no worries man, not every story I write is for everyone, lol. I do like the angsty stuff sometimes, and while this one will get somewhat fluffy in the end, there's a lot more angst to go through first!

 **Guest:** This is actually my first try at Bumblebee/Bumbleby. I usually go for the more… esoteric ones (North Pole, Pink Lemonade, Purruby). So, naturally, when I actually do Bumblebee it's not gonna be normal. I am a fan of Ladybug though, dunno why for sure but I blame **Jefardi** and **ShowMeYourFury**. In a good way.

 **Martin Hooper1:** Different indeed. And yeah I'm still in the canon Bumblebee camp, I know it's gonna be a very slow burn if it happens, maybe even the length of Season 4 if it happens at all. But the best love stories work that way.

Stay shiny!


	3. Chapter 3: This Will Be The Day

**Voices - Chapter 3: This Will Be The Day**

Blake stood at her dresser, brushing out her raven hair with slow, measured strokes. She didn't used to brush her hair this way, usually it only took her a few minutes to get it straight. Yang, though, she had been so proud of her hair, that luxurious blonde mane of hers. Her hair took the longest for her to get ready in the morning.

And while the Faunus girl was conscious of the reasoning behind her change in routine, a part of her wanted Yang to feel a little bit of normalcy. Even if it did earn her odd looks from the others on what was left of her team.

 _*It's a nice thought, kitten, but you don't need to, really.*_

 _Perhaps I want to._

 _*Well… then I ain't gonna stop you.*_

 _Thought so._

Yang cheerful laugh brought a soft smile to her face, which she was quick to wipe off as she settled her face back into her customary neutral mask before she turned to face the others.

"Are you sure you want to go off by yourself?" Weiss asked from where she sat next to Ruby on the edge of her bed. "You were supposed to be on bed rest for at least a week if not more."

"I'm fine," Blake tried to reassure them. "Honestly, my aura is feeling stronger than ever."

 _*That's 'cause it is, you got super-charged, Yang-style.*_

It took an effort to suppress the humorous snort that threatened to escape.

"Then perhaps you should return to classes?" Weiss persisted, a pleading look in her ice-blue eyes.

"No, I have this time to myself now, I want to put it to good use."

"But-"

Ruby placed a hand on Weiss' leg, cutting her off as she stood up. The diminutive brunette stood in front of her, staring up with her silver eyes filled with both concern and understanding.

"I'll have my scroll on all day long," Ruby stated calmly. "You run into any trouble, any at all, you call me first, understand?"

Blake nodded solemnly. _She's had to grow up once again, hasn't she?_

 _*First Summer, then me… Yeah.*_ Yang sighed morosely. _*Oum, I hate for her to be hurting.*_

 _I do too. Seems like Weiss is stepping in a bit to help, though._

 _*Wait, what? What do you mean?*_

 _Not now, Yang._

She ignored the irritable grumbling, regrets about not being able to put the 'Ice Queen' in her place, while she gave her teammates a soft smile.

"I'll be fine, really. I'm not going to go looking for trouble, just to ask some questions, carefully."

"And you'll come back for dinner?" Ruby was rather insistent on that point, to be sure that Blake would return to Beacon before nightfall.

"I promise."

"Okay, then. Good luck Blakey."

Blake stepped forward and gave her partner's little sister a tight hug. "Thanks, Rubes."

As she had since Blake had began, quite unintentionally, calling her that name over the past couple of days, Ruby stiffened at first before relaxing into the hug.

 _I don't mean to keep calling her that._

 _*Yeah, sorry, that's me, I guess. Still no idea how I can influence you or anything... but don't worry, she'll get used to it. Eventually. I hope.*_

She gave another hug to Weiss before heading out the door, neither of her teammates commenting any more on her uncharacteristically increased propensity for physical contact. While Ruby and Weiss walked off towards their classes, Blake headed out the front and towards the airbus platform.

 _*Okay, so we're gonna go hit some folk up for info. I got a good idea for the first stop.*_

 _Figured you might. And I agree, that would be our best bet to start off. Think he'll be open?_

 _*He's always open, or at least he's always around. And, might I add, I love the way we can now think alike.*_

 _See, when you say it like that, it terrifies me._

 _*Oh, don't be that way. Besides, on the way there we can discuss important stuff.*_

 _Oh? Like what?_

 _*Exactly what you need to do to Weissicle to keep her paws off my little sister.*_

 _Yang, no…_

 _*Yang, yes. You can't let her get her tiny, manicured little hooks into Rubes, Blakey! You just can't!*_

Blake chuckled to herself as she boarded the airbus headed into the town of Vale. _Now, Yang… what makes you think it's Weiss initiating things?_

Amazingly enough, that managed to shock Yang into silence for the rest of the trip into town.

o o o

Blake stood outside the club, situated in the industrial sector, and tapped her foot on the pavement nervously. _I don't know about this,_ she thought with some hesitation.

 _*Relax, it'll be fine. Junior and I go way back.*_

 _But he doesn't know me! He knows you!_

 _*Yeah… actually that might be a good thing, you won't get a gun pointed in your face right off the bat.*_

"What?" she hissed out loud. "What are you getting me into, Yang?" _You better start sharing some memories with me before I take another step forward!_

 _*Now, kitten…*_

 _Don't you 'now, kitten' me! I mean it, not another step, Yang!_

Yang gave a rueful chuckle inside her head. _*Yeah, okay, okay, don't get your tail in a tizzy…*_

 _I don't_ have _a tail, Yang!_

 _*I'm just being... Yeah, okay. Here we go…*_

Blake closed her eyes briefly, assaulted by the images of combat inside the club she was standing in front of. A pair of girls, white and red, with matching malachite eyes, a man with a large teddybear head, many fedora-wearing henchmen, and then Junior himself with a baseball bat rocket launcher. Culminating with the large bearded man being flung through the window of his own club.

 _Well, that was… violent._

 _*Heh. Yeah, good times…*_

 _And a… rocket launcher bat? Really?_

 _*Hey, it was more effective than you'd think.*_

 _Well, seeing how I didn't bring_ Gambol Shroud _, let's not let it get to that, alright?_

 _*Sure thing, kitten. C'mon, let's go see the wizard.*_

 _...And now you're starting to sound like me, or at least some of the books I've read._

Yang laughed breezily as she started forward. _*Oh, yeah, you've got quite the library in here, you don't actually remember all the details from the books but enough for me to not get bored. Some of 'em, though… Wow.*_

She froze in her tracks, her eyes wide and incredulous. _Yang Xiao Long, you do_ not _get to read those types of books inside my head!_

 _*Aw, why not? They're pretty juicy…*_

 _I am not discussing this with you right now!_ She continued forward, trying very hard to keep a rather furious blush off of her face.

 _*Fine, fine… Can you read one later?*_

 _If you're a good girl, maybe._ She gave a humorous roll of her eyes.

 _*Oh, I can be_ real _good, kitten…*_

She had to stop again, just outside the door, and closed her eyes, unable to keep the blush off of her face this time. The way Yang said that, sending shivers up and down her spine...

 _You need to stop that. Please._

 _*Yeah, okay, you're right. Sorry, Blake.*_ Her voice was somber and slightly… regretful? _*But… maybe we should talk. Later, about… stuff.*_

 _Um, alright. Later._

Blake wasn't sure if she were looking forward to the discussion or dreading it. Mostly the latter.

With renewed confidence she pushed the door open and strode through, her head held high as she approached the fedora-wearing doorman inside.

"Club's closed, little girl," the suited man sneered.

"I need to see Junior," she stated firmly. "Tell him I'm a friend of Yang Xiao Long's."

The man inhaled a shocked breath at the name, but scurried off all the same, muttering over his shoulder for her to stay right there.

 _*Whelp, good to know they still remember me.*_

 _After that memory you shared… I don't think they'll ever forget you, Yang._

 _*Heh. True enough.*_

Eventually the man came back and curtly gestured Blake to follow him inside the club proper. As the doors slid open, she glanced around, noting the changes that had been done since Yang's rather… destructive renovation.

 _*I should have gone into business,*_ Yang snickered cheerfully. _*Yang's Renovations an' Demolitions.*_

 _Dammit, Yang, you make me start laughing and I'll begin reciting bad poetry in my head._

 _*Oohhh, low blow, kitty cat…*_

She kept her face, admittedly through sheer willpower, in her customary neutral mask as she approached the bar. The large bear of a man, bearded and wearing red sunglasses, had his hands splayed on the counter as he watched her approach. His own face was imperturbable, but that was to be expected until he found out why she was here.

Blake coolly slid onto a bar stool and propped her chin on her fist, ignoring the cluster of henchmen who cautiously stood about just outside of striking distance.

"Hello, Junior," she murmured, keeping her tone light and friendly. "My name is Blake Belladonna. I'm a friend of Yang's."

"So you mentioned," he rumbled mildly in reply. He leaned back and spread his arms out invitingly. "Can I get you something?"

She smirked slightly. "Strawberry Sunrise. With a little umbrella."

Junior chuckled as he complied, quickly mixing the drink up and slipping one of the cheerfully-colored tiny umbrellas into it. "Well, at least I can confirm you really do know Blondie. Heard a rumor, though…"

Blake quirked an eyebrow curiously.

 _*It's what he does, he knows just about everyone and everything. Why we're here, right?*_

"I heard…" he began, leaning forward again. "That Blondie's dead."

The Cat Faunus stilled, her drink partway to her lips.

"Well, well," Junior murmured, straightening back up. "I guess the rumor's true, then."

She nodded faintly. "Yes, it is," she whispered. Clearing her throat, Blake continued quietly. "That's why I'm here, actually. Yang always told me if I ever needed to find someone, or find out about someone, you're the person to go to. And I want to find the person responsible for my… for Yang."

"And what was Yang to you?" he pressed intently.

What was Yang to her? She was her sun, her warmth, her life… Blake shook her head, irritated with herself for going off on such a tangent, especially with an eavesdropper on board.

She could sense Yang's embarrassed chuckle. _*Yeah, sorry kitten… Kinda hard to ignore some things when you're, um… I dunno, broadcasting so loud?*_

 _I'll keep that in mind._

"Yang was my partner," she replied levelly to Junior. "And I need to find the man who killed her and tried to kill me. I need to find… Adam Taurus."

Junior stood all the way upright, his arms crossed. "Do you really know what you're asking, girlie? You know who Adam is, who he runs with?"

She noted another pair of individuals move in, likely with some degree of stealth compared to who they usually dealt with. The red and white twins, one sliding in on either side of her though a few seats away.

With a resolute sigh, Blake reached up and undid her bow. "Yes, I do," she replied softly.

Junior glanced up at her Faunus ears and then back down to her face, nodding thoughtfully. "I'm guessing you used to run with them?"

She simply nodded back slowly.

 _*Taking a bit of a risk here, Blakey.*_

 _And I'm done hiding right now. This is the only way to get him to open up to me._

"Okay," he rumbled quietly, uncrossing his arms with a sigh. "Suppose it's the least I can do, then. I can respect what you're doing, just as I respected Blondie. Even if she was… a little aggressive."

 _*Oh, yeah,*_ Yang snorted. _*I was aggressive ALL over his ass.*_

 _I swear to Oum, Yang…_

"So, I can't give you his exact location," Junior continued. "But… I can give you an address. Major White Fang communication hub, it's where a lotta mercenaries go to pick up orders or deliver results. Should at least be able to get his location from there." He reached behind the bar to pull out a pad of paper and a pen, quickly writing on it before tearing the sheet off and sliding it to her. "But, you never got this from me. We clear?"

Blake glanced at the paper, memorizing the address even as she finished her fruity drink. She nodded, sliding the paper back over to him. "Crystal."

She rose from her seat, not even glancing at the pair of brawler girls, but paused a few steps away.

"Thank you, Junior. I know Yang would appreciate it."

"Yeah, well… good luck to you, kiddo."

The raven-haired Faunus nodded levelly before striding off and out the door to the club.

o o o

 _I don't know why you're against this,_ Blake thought crossly.

 _*Because we promised.*_

 _I'm not actually going to go invade the place, I don't even have my weapon on me! Just… a little bit of reconnaissance!_

 _*No, Blake.*_

She sighed at the firm insistence in Yang's voice. She knew her partner was right, really. It was just…

 _You know, I never used to be this… impulsive. I blame you._

 _*And I never used to be the responsible one. Gotta blame you for that, too, y'know.*_

Blake chuckled lightly as she sat in the cafe, sipping from her tea. It was nicely warm and with the perfect amount of milk, just the way she liked it.

 _*Sooo, if we're not gonna hit the place today, and we already got the investigative part over with…*_

 _Yes?_ she prompted with a bit of trepidation.

 _*I got a theory about how I'm in here, if you're interested.*_

 _Er, yes. That is… go ahead. Please._

She could sense Yang's hesitation, as if she were unsure of how Blake would take this.

 _*I think… well, maybe the reason you could… absorb me like you did was because of… um… how I felt about you.*_

 _How you… Pardon?_

 _*Ugh. Okay, look, I know this is gonna be awkward as anything, but… Blakey, you meant the world to me. Still do. Never felt the way I do about you with anyone else. I mean... *_

Blake chewed on her lip as she listened to Yang's frustrated groans.

 _Yang, do you… That is, are you, er…_

 _*I love you, kitten,*_ Yang finally blurted out. _*Always have, ever since… since you gave me that little smirk of yours when we first became partners. Worked your way right into my heart and never left.*_

 _Yang… I…_

 _*No, it's okay, I'm sorry for even bringing it up, I just… I figured you deserved to know, right? I mean-*_

 _Yang Xiao Long will you shut up for five seconds and listen to me?_

The inside of Blake's head fell silent, and rather than tell her how she felt… she showed her. Opened her heart and memories up, of how she felt every time Yang had given her a sunny smile or a friendly hug… how much she meant to her, always had, her strength and her courage.

 _*Blake… Wow. Um. Just… wow.*_

 _So… now what?_

 _*Well, not like it changes our situation any. I'm still stuck like this, and you're still stuck with me.*_

 _This isn't the way it was supposed to be._

 _*No, I imagine not. Wish I could have kissed you, at least.*_

Blake covered up her blush with another sip of tea. _Yes, well… That would have been nice._

 _*So would a lot of other stuff.*_

 _Stop that._

 _*No, seriously. I'm never getting any of that Bellabooty, am I now?*_

 _Sweet Mother of Oum, Yang… Seriously? You did not just say that to me._

 _*Oh, don't act all innocent with me. You let me in, all the way in, and I now know the looks you gave me.*_

 _...Not my fault you had such a… magnificent bosom._

Yang's boisterous laughter rang through her head, bringing an unusually wide smile to her lips. She could get used to this, maybe…

 _*Okay, so here's a thought,*_ Yang giggled merrily.

 _Oh, well, this could be dangerous…_

 _*What if you were to, um… pleasure yourself?*_

Blake almost dropped her cup in shock. She sputtered incoherently, unable to even form a properly indignant thought.

 _*What's the matter, cat got your tongue?*_

 _You… are… terrible. I can't believe you… No. Just… no._

 _*Too soon?*_ the former blonde asked coyly.

 _Yes! I mean… no! Not… Argh! And now I can't even do that, can I? That avenue of release is closed to me now!_

 _*Hey, I'm not gonna complain any…*_

 _Yang! You will shut up this very instant or so help me, when I get back to the dorm, I will set Ruby and Weiss up on a date!_

 _*...You wouldn't…*_

 _Watch me!_

Yang let out an amused huff. _*Well played, kitten. Well played. Alright, I'll drop it.*_

 _THANK you._

 _*...For now.*_

 _I swear to Oum, Yang…_

 _*Yes?*_ The voice in her head sounded so innocent it might have come from her sister instead.

 _Just… nothing. Never mind. Let's get home, alright?_

 _*Fine by me. Though… don't forget your bow, huh?*_

Blake pulled out her ribbon, surprised that she'd even left Junior's club without it on her head. She stared at it intently, pulling up all of her memories of past harassment before she'd started to wear it, all of her reasoning at concealment…

"No," she whispered.

 _*No… what, exactly?*_

 _I'm not putting it back on. I'm done hiding._ As she stood, she stuffed the ribbon back into her pocket and began to head towards the airbus.

 _*Are you sure about this, Blakey?*_ Yang's voice was filled with concern, but she shook her head resolutely.

 _Yes, I am. I suddenly don't care overmuch what others think._

 _*Hmm. Maybe I'm starting to rub off on you in other ways, yeah?*_

 _Perhaps._

And if that was the case, if her newfound confidence was due to the woman now inhabiting her headspace, the woman who… who loved her, well…

Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed the flashback to Junior's club from the Yellow Trailer. And now that they've confessed their feelings to each other, it's going to be clear sailing, right? (Insert maniacal laughter here.)

 **Jessica:** One more chapter, not going to comment on that any further… for now…

 **growlscout:** Thanks! I really kind of put myself out there in trying this, but hey, why be normal, right? Also, holy carp a fellow Dollhouse fan! Squee! (Totally underappreciated series by the master Joss Whedon himself. All hail Joss.)

 **DustGremlin:** Actually I really do appreciate the feedback, looking back I really have gone a little overboard on giving Yang a more unique voice. I might blame my re-reading of my Firefly fanfic, with all the western slang. But yes, thank you so much for pointing that out, I went back through and tried to tone it down a little more. I do tend to stick some of that speech pattern in with both Yang and Ruby, but I'm chilling on it now. Thanks!

 **TacoKing23:** Yeah, sorry about those feels…

 **Wolfenheart:** Thanks! I hadn't heard of any other works done like this, but the one where it was reversed would be interesting as well!

 **xanothos:** Your kind words are much appreciated, oh mighty Herald of the Bellabooty. (Funny enough, I already had the Bellabooty line written into this chapter, but now I shall have to dedicate it to you. Cheers!)

 **DatScizor:** Hope you liked this installment, and glad you're enjoying the ride so far!

Stay shiny!


	4. Chapter 4: From Shadows

**Voices - Chapter 4: From Shadows**

Blake crouched in the shadows of the night, back in her natural element with _Gambol Shroud_ firmly clasped in her hand. Her amber eyes narrowed as she scanned the docks, watching the subtle movements of the supposed dock workers that lingered around the large storage building at the edge of the water.

 _Definitely White Fang sentries. Some have their features concealed so as to appear human._

 _*You know Rubes is gonna be pissed, right?*_

Rolling her eyes irritably, Blake let out an unamused huff. _Can we concentrate here?_

 _*I'm just saying. Yeah, you followed the letter of our promise and got back before nightfall, but sneaking out afterwards is gonna get her pissed.*_

She bit back her retort, knowing that Yang had the right of it. _Yes, alright? And she'll have every right to be. But I can do this…_ We _can do this. Just a reconnaissance raid._

 _*There's still six grunts to take down. Unless your ninja skills can get us past them?*_

Blake chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. _No._

 _*So, a frontal assault, then.*_

 _That would be our best bet, yes._

 _*As opposed to a stealthy reconnaissance raid.*_

 _You can be a real pain in the ass, you know that?_

 _*Story of my life, kitten. Ain't gonna stop just 'cause I'm dead.*_

She let out a humorous snort. _You seem to be taking to this better than I expected._

 _*Oh, don't get me wrong, it still freaks the fuck outta me, and I still ain't used to just watching everything like it was a vid. Keep trying to move my limbs when you walk, and that's unbelievably irritating.*_

 _Well… you're covering it up admirably._

 _*Yup, that's me, master at faking it.*_

With a shake of her head, Blake slipped from shadow to shadow as she made her way closer towards the outermost pair of sentries. She waited a few heartbeats for their attention to be elsewhere before she leapt forward, her sheath smashing into one grunt's face and her boot lashing out at the other's. Both of them fell to the ground limply, like puppets with their strings cut.

It didn't take long for the others to react.

 _*Playtime, kitten.*_

Blake gave a feral little growl as she surged forward, lashing out with her weapon on the end of its ribbon tether to hit one of the White Fang soldiers in the chest, sending him sprawling. The other three quickly closed to within striking distance, and she was kept busy flipping about to avoid their hits, leaving behind a few shadow clones.

As each of her semblance-activated illusions were hit, however, she felt an odd tingling throughout her body that caused her to stumble slightly in surprise.

 _What was that?_

 _*You're asking_ me _?*_

 _Well,_ I _don't know what it was!_

 _*Worry about it later, get your head back in the game!*_

She shook her head resolutely as she faced off against the remaining sentries. With several well-placed hits, two of them went down quickly, though the third managed to get a lucky hit in, making her feel that odd tingling sensation again.

 _Seriously, what in Oum's name is that?_

 _*Wait a sec… okay, here's an idea. Last guy, just punch 'im.*_

 _...Punch him?_

 _*Yup. Really hard, right in the chest.*_

The remaining sentry hurled himself at Blake with a howl, clumsily leaving himself wide open. Without further thought, she sheathed _Gambol Shroud_ on her back and met the charge with an open-handed strike on his sternum.

She sent the man flying back, across the dock and out over the water, sailing across several more yards before splashing down.

Blake stood there, staring out into the darkness and in complete shock.

 _*Well, I'll be a son of a Grimm. How about that.*_

 _Okay, start talking Yang. What. Was. That?_

 _*That, kitten… was my semblance. Walk over to the water and check your reflection.*_

She obeyed, bending over the other edge of the dock and peering into the now-placid surface.

And watched in amazement as her raven hair flickered behind her, the black flames causing her hair to drift about on ethereal currents.

 _Yang…_

 _*Yep. Opens up all sorts of possibilities, doesn't it? Guess with my aura and, well, me, comes the rest of the package as well.*_

A slow smile began to creep across her face, one that was more predatory than gleeful.

 _Let's go see what we can find out about Adam's location, shall we?_

 _*Oh, yeah. Let's.*_

o o o

Blake returned to her room just before the sun came up. She cautiously opened the door, prepared to sneak across to the bathroom in order to change into her pajamas.

Or at least, she would have were Ruby and Weiss not sitting up on the Heiress' bed, waiting for her.

 _Uh-oh._

 _*Yup. Toldya so.*_

 _Oh, shut it._

"Look, Ruby, I can explain," she began weakly, closing the door behind her.

"I don't think there's anything that needs explanation," Weiss interjected coldly. "You snuck out. And from the look of things, got into a fight."

Blake winced at the fury radiating off of both of the smaller women and glanced down at the floor in shame.

"I… Yes. I did. I'm… sorry."

"Sorry for doing it, or sorry for getting caught?"

Ruby's quiet question made Blake jerk her head back up again. It wasn't the question itself so much as the tone, so filled with… hurt.

"I'm sorry… that this upset the both of you." Blake walked over to her bed and sat on the edge, facing the other pair. She absently noted that they were holding hands unobtrusively behind them.

 _What, no comment on that?_

 _*Oh, no, I'm just sitting back and enjoying the show first._ Then _I'll get pissed off at Princess.*_

 _So glad your priorities are in order._

 _*You bet. Hey, did I mention that I toldya so?*_

 _Yes, Yang. Yes you did._

"I don't really have an excuse," the raven-haired girl began glumly, fully prepared to face the consequences for her outing. "But I had to do this, I had to find out Adam's location. And I have it now."

"And what will you do with it?" Weiss asked probingly.

Blake sighed, and did the worst possible thing she could think of.

She lied.

"I don't know yet," she said quietly, not looking up from the floor.

 _*You don't really expect them to believe that steaming pile of Grimmshit, do you?*_

 _How very… poetic of you. And I'm hoping, yes._

Yang's derisive snort echoed in her head, but the two girls seated across from her made no other noise. She looked up briefly, into pools of silver and ice-blue… and saw disappointment.

"Get some sleep," Ruby said quietly as she stood up. Her hand lingered on Weiss' shoulder before she climbed up onto her top bunk.

Blake nodded numbly as she rose once more and changed into her pajamas.

 _*Hey, kitten?*_

 _Yes, Yang?_

 _*Toldya so.*_

 _You are such an ass._

 _*But totally right.*_

She couldn't really come up with a proper respite to that.

o o o

Blake sat at her customary position on her bed after dinner, ostentatiously reading her textbook but in actuality planning that night's activities in her head with her partner. She was taking a break from that now, though, and reflected on the past twenty-four hours.

She'd been out and about campus for an entire day as herself, her Faunus traits on display for everyone to see. Remarkably enough, most of the reactions were simply… neutral. Some shrugs, a few double-takes, even a few more smiles of encouragement, particularly from the other Faunus students.

Of the harassment and derision and hatred… amazingly enough, none of it surfaced. There were a few glares sent her way, but that was it.

 _Something so profound, so… game-changing for me, should have had more of an impact._

 _*Are you complaining?*_

 _No, not at all, just… incredulous, perhaps._

She glanced up, then, to see Ruby bending over to retrieve something out of the bottom drawer of her dresser, and quickly glanced away again, blushing slightly.

 _*Wait, what was that?*_

 _What was what?_

 _*Did you just check out my little sister?*_

 _No, of course not._

 _*I saw you! I saw you looking, you were totally checking her out!*_

 _You're delusional._

 _*I can't be delusional in your head, Blakey! Admit it, you were checking out my sister's ass!*_

 _I will admit to no such thing. I merely happened to be… glancing that way. I cannot help seeing what I saw._

 _*That doesn't make me feel any better about it!*_

 _Wasn't meant to. Besides, Weiss was the one actively checking her out._

 _*WHAT?!*_

Blake held the book further up to her face as she quietly giggled, Yang's furious growling filling her head.

 _*This ain't funny, kitten!*_

 _Oh, I have to disagree with you on that point. There is boundless humor in this situation._

It was then that she noticed what Ruby, and evidently Weiss earlier, had been retrieving from their dressers.

Their combat outfits.

 _Oh, dust… I think we've been found out._

 _*Yep. Definitely busted.*_

Blake sighed and closed her textbook, placing it on her lap so that she might meet the resolute stares of her teammates.

"Look-"

"No, Blake," the brunette team leader firmly interrupted. "Your turn to listen. You and Yang both."

"That sounds so odd," Weiss murmured.

Ruby gave her a bump with her shoulder from where she sat next to her. "We know what you're planning. And you're not going alone. We're a team still."

"But, Ruby, you don't know who he is, what he's capable of-"

"Don't I?" The shorter girl jumped to her feet, standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed and a swirling cloud of emotions shining in her silver eyes. "This guy took Yang from me. Tried to kill you. So, yeah, I know exactly what he's capable of, and we're not letting you take him on alone. I'm not gonna lose you too, Blake."

Ruby's eyes softened then, though her face still remained hard and unmoving. "And I can't lose Yang again," she ended in a whisper. "You have to take us, it's what Yang would have wanted, I know it. You ask her, I know she'll agree."

 _*Oh, dammitall. Blakey…*_

 _Yes, I concur._

"Alright, then, Rubes," the raven-haired girl replied softly. "If you're going, then we need to plan… and you two need your weapons."

Weiss stood as well, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Ruby's waist. "You won't regret this, either of you."

 _Gods, I hope not._

* * *

 **A/N:** Yang is going to be kept in fits about White Rose. Also, I wonder if anyone thought about the possibility of Blake gaining Yang's semblance as well? There was at least one astute reviewer who picked up on the possibility (props to **Jessica** ). It's gonna work a little differently, though, especially as her clones taking hits also build up the energy, since they're an extension of Blake's own semblance.

Next chapter is the last. Time for a showdown!

 **growlscout:** Yep, Ruby's definitely had to change here, but yeah she doesn't hold Blake responsible. As is evidenced in this chapter, however, she isn't willing to put up with her crap, either. Blake's definitely going to have to keep a better lock on the Adult section of her internal library. And, god, poor Topher, especially when Summer Glau's character… ugh, the feels… Dollhouse was such an amazing show…

 **Wolfenheart:** Thanks! I've actually made a conscious decision not to reflect how things are being affected outside of just the team itself, like with JNPR or Tai or Qrow or the like. But yeah, you can imagine poor Tai's reaction reaching all new heights of angst…

 **FelipeCH98:** And thank you as well! It started out pretty Yangsty, but it's picking up a bit. Couldn't really make it as fluff-filled as my usual offerings, especially with the premise, but hopefully I can end it on a positive enough note next chapter!

Stay shiny!


	5. Chapter 5: I Burn

**Voices - Chapter 5: I Burn**

Weiss and Ruby crouched in the shadows across the street from the warehouse Blake had indicated. They were armed with their respective weaponry and prepared to back their teammate up, as soon as they got the signal.

Whatever that might be.

"Does it not bother you that we don't even know what we're supposed to be listening for?" the heiress whispered irritably.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders under her ever-present red cloak. "Not necessarily. I trust Blake, and I trust Yang. They won't lead us wrong."

Weiss let out a soft sigh, resting a small hand on the brunette's arm. "And how are you doing with that part of it?"

In response, Ruby shot her a small grin over her shoulder. "I'm dealing with it, honest. It's getting easier, even when she calls me… you know."

"I don't think she really knows when she does that."

"No, I don't either, might just be that they're, um… merging? Or something?" Ruby shook her head marginally, her gaze once more riveted on the structure that supposedly held numerous White Fang soldiers. "I don't really get it all. It's enough for me that Yang's still… in there, in Blakey's head. So she's not completely gone. And that helps, a lot."

The white-haired girl leaned forward to wrap her arms around the other girl in a quick hug from behind. "You know I'm here for you to talk to if you need me, correct?"

Ruby blushed lightly, but gripped her hand before she withdrew. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Weiss."

The pair of huntresses-in-training perked up as movement at the back of the warehouse caught their attention. "What was that?" Weiss murmured.

"Looked like… I dunno, a figure? Think it was Blake?"

"Well, I suppose we could give it a few more-"

Weiss snapped her mouth shut with an audible _click_ as a loud explosion tore through the rear wall of the structure, illuminating the dark street with flickering flames.

"I think that blonde oaf has become a bad influence on Blake," the heiress grumbled.

Ruby snickered softly, rising up from her crouch. "Well, if nothing else, I think we can safely say that was our signal to move in."

The pair sped off across the street, approaching the front doors which should have been lightly guarded by that point, if at all. Ruby levelled _Crescent Rose_ at the portal and cut loose with several shots, breaking down the lock enough that they could kick it open.

Just inside, three white-uniformed and masked grunts spun around in surprise, only to be hurled into the far wall by a white glyph.

"Nice toss, sweetie!" Ruby grinned.

"Why thank you, dear," Weiss replied calmly, striding through with _Myrtenaster_ held at the ready.

They cautiously moved through the front of the warehouse, taking out what White Fang troops they came across, though their opposition was scattered and disorganized.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Weiss asked curiously. "I mean, it doesn't seem like a main headquarters…"

"Oh, it is," a low and deadly voice intoned from the darkness. "Or at least, it was. And I think you both will have to pay for the damages."

Ruby sucked in a quick breath as she stepped back alongside Weiss, weapon held at the ready. A tall, angular figure stepped into the light, black-suited and auburn-haired but with a fancier Grimm mask than most of the regular White Fang grunts. He held a crimson-bladed sword in one hand, while the other clutched the sheath.

"Ruby," her white-haired partner murmured. "This is bad, we aren't supposed to be taking him on alone…"

The brunette, however, was staring hard at the man, a fierce scowl on her normally pleasant face. "You killed my sister," she growled quietly.

The man gave a low chuckle. "I've killed many humans, little girl. But it would seem I get to kill another pair tonight, and one of them a Schnee. How… marvelous. This just might make the disruption of my activities here worthwhile." He grinned widely, teeth glinting dully in the dim lighting. "Please tell me you're going to try and fight. It will make this all the more pleasurable."

"Oh, I'm going to fight you, alright," Ruby snarled, whipping her scythe behind her and firing off a shot to assist in her speed semblance. She flew in like a red tornado, but managed to alter her course at the last millisecond to avoid the dextrous swing of his sword. As it was, it passed so close to her hair that she could see several strands severed from her bangs float past.

Unfortunately, in altering her course it left her exposed as she came to a halt, whirling around with her scythe extended. She was unprepared for the gunshot that caught her in the stomach from the man's sheath, her aura barely blocking it but still sending her crashing backwards and into a shelf full of boxes.

"Ruby!"

The brunette looked up just in time to see the masked man charging in at her, sword already swinging down to strike…

Only to be intercepted by a slim rapier.

"Move!" Weiss barked, straining to hold the red blade back.

Ruby leapt back to her feet, but as soon as she did Weiss slammed into her, having received a brutal kick into her side. The pair of them went tumbling down together in a heap.

"Is that the best you can do?" the man laughed cruelly, stalking forward as the partners scrambled back to their feet. Weiss was now holding her side tenderly, while Ruby had an arm wrapped around her stomach which was aching something fierce.

Ruby flipped her weapon around, turning it into a gun to send several shots out that he easily intercepted with a twirl of his blade. Weiss plunged her sword into the ground, sending ice spikes hurling at him, but they proved to be just as ineffectual as the rest of their attacks. He simply sidestepped the worst of the onslaught and swiped his weapon across to dissipate the rest.

"I tire of this already," he sighed, almost sounding disappointed. "Time to deal with you for good."

Ruby and Weiss shared a worried glance. They were so very far below his skillset it was almost laughable, and their position looked to be dubious at best.

But then a low growl came from behind the man, a single word spoken with such hatred that it sent chills through the girls' spines.

"Adam."

The man spun around, his sword at the ready as he stepped back.

"Darling," he chuckled darkly. "So good of you to… join… us…"

Adam's initial joviality trailed off into a murmur as he watched Blake approach. Ruby and Weiss, now able to see their teammate as well, let out soft gasps of surprise.

The Cat Faunus was wreathed in ebony flames that danced around her shoulders and arms, illuminating her from behind in a dark glow that made her hair drift about on unseen currents. Her hair itself seemed to be on fire, a burning darkness that licked about like a thing alive.

But most remarkable of all were her eyes, no longer their customary amber.

They were glowing a bright crimson.

"Yang," the brunette whispered softly in awe.

Blake grinned ferally as she stalked towards the masked man, _Gambol Shroud_ held to the side in its katana form. "This ends now," she murmured, the sound a promise of violence to come.

"Oh, it certainly will," Adam smirked, his confidence returned. With a lightning flash of red, his sword whipped across to catch her unaware.

Only she'd already moved to intercept, and blocked the strike effortlessly.

Adam backed up, his sword extended in front of him. "How…?" he breathed, shocked at the strength of the girl who'd been so clearly his inferior.

"I got a little help," Blake chuckled. "Someone who dearly wants to give you a message from the grave… and I'm inclined to let her."

Reflexively, Weiss flicked a black glyph into existence under Blake's feet, speeding up her reflexes and attack speed. The Cat Faunus didn't even glance down, but her grin widened anticipatorily.

With that, the raven-haired girl launched herself onto the offensive. Her strikes were a blur as she twirled in, a blend of her customary lithe maneuvers with the power of Yang's blunt offense and Weiss' speed boost. She flipped about, leaving numerous shadow clones in her wake as she drifted from attack to attack. Adam desperately went onto the defensive, using both sword and sheath to deflect what he could, but the sheer power behind the strikes staggered him across the room.

With another spin, her hair trailing behind her in black flames, Blake slashed her weapon across in an overwhelming attack that shattered Adam's weapon. She completed the spin and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the concrete wall and into the next room.

Her visage relentless, Blake sheathed her weapon on her back and strode forward, disappearing through the hole. Soon thereafter, Adam came sailing back out again, clutching at his chest painfully as if cradling several broken ribs as he rolled across the floor.

Weiss and Ruby were agape at the unprecedented power Blake was displaying, but once she reappeared to push Adam up against the wall, drawing her sword back out again, the team leader managed to shake off her lethargy.

"Blake, no!" the diminutive brunette shouted anxiously. She stepped forward as Blake paused, her blade to the man's throat.

"You can't kill him, Blake," Ruby insisted quietly now that she'd gotten her friend's attention. "You know that's not what we're about, what we stand for."

Blake glanced over her shoulder with a smirk that was more reflective of a certain blonde brawler than anything. "You're right, Rubes. As is Yang, his life isn't mine to take." She turned her gaze back to her former mentor, the smirk widening. With a quick thrust, she drove her blade into his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

"Stay there," she barked over his anguished howl.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as Blake walked over, the black flames beginning to die down as her eyes once again took on the familiar amber hue. "Are you alright?" the Cat Faunus murmured.

"Are _we_ alright?" Weiss exclaimed, stepping up next to Ruby. "What was that? What was… _that_?"

Blake chuckled somewhat self-consciously. "Er, yes… well, as it turns out… Yang's semblance managed to merge with mine as well."

The brunette team leader just shook her head and gathered Blake into a tight hug. "Thanks, Blakey."

"Anytime, Rubes," the raven-haired girl murmured. She snaked out an arm to pull Weiss in as well. "You too, Princess."

"I do not miss this at all," the heiress huffed at the smothering embrace, but still wrapped her arms around her teammates gratefully.

Sirens sounded in the distance as the authorities approached, but the three girls ignored them as they maintained their clinging stance, feeling like a whole team once more.

o o o

Blake entered the restaurant, smoothing down her slinky black dress as she patiently waited in line for seating. Once it was her turn, she politely requested a table for one, but that they leave the second place setting alone.

It was a Faunus-friendly establishment, and one she'd been to before, the wait staff both friendly and accommodating, so she felt very much at ease as she slid into her chair and waited for a server to arrive.

 _This has got to be the oddest date I've ever been on._

 _*You and me both, kitten. Pity I can't really taste anything.*_

 _Give it time, Yang. You can feel what I do, physically, is it too much to hope for that you might one day gain my other senses?_

 _*Huh, didn't think of it that way… I mean, it's already really cool getting to see through your eyes, wonder what it would be like to smell… Hey, do you taste stuff differently too? I mean, like, more intensely?*_

 _I do, yes. Depends on the food._

 _*Nice.*_

A pleasant Deer Faunus walked up to take her order then. She passed along her request for her favorite seafood dish, along with a glass of wine, and the waitress promised to be back soon with some bread rolls.

 _So once you can taste what I do, we can actually split a meal. You know, fish and fries, that sort of thing._

 _*Don't suppose I could convince you to try a burger or steak?*_

 _Ugh… fine, for you, yes._

 _*You're such a sweetie.*_

Blake smiled to herself, and then directed it at her waitress as she brought her rolls and her wine.

 _Well, Yang, here's to us,_ she thought as she lifted the glass to her lips. _Hope you don't get tired of me anytime soon._

 _*You kidding me? How could I ever?*_

 _You say that now. Just wait until I hit my time of the month._

 _*Ha, you don't scare me.*_

 _Is that a challenge?_ she smirked as she tore a piece of bread off and popped it into her mouth.

Yang's merry laughter rang through her head, widening the grin on her face. She no longer cared anymore what people thought of her as she carried on internal conversations with the woman inside her head. It was becoming more and more natural to do so, and she wondered when the time would come that she'd hardly remember a time when Yang _wasn't_ in her head.

 _*Already planning on taking me for granted, hmm?*_

 _Never._

 _*Goodie. So, after dinner, you wanna maybe… curl up and read a nice book?*_

 _That sounds lovely._

 _*Maybe one of those Ninja of Love ones?*_

 _...Perhaps._

 _*And then, maybe you, me, and your fingers can have a little fun together?*_

 _Yang…_ Blake buried her face in her wine glass, blushing brightly as Yang's giggling filled her head. _You are a very bad girl._

 _*Never suggested otherwise. And that wasn't a 'no', either.*_

 _...We'll see._

 _*Oh, yeah!*_ the blonde in her head exclaimed merrily. _*Even dead, I still got it!*_

Blake couldn't help but snicker softly to herself as she put her head down on the table.

 _I love you Yang, even if you're the strangest girlfriend a girl could ask for._

 _*I love you too, kitten.*_

* * *

 **A/N:** Badass Blake is badass and feisty Yang is feisty. So that wraps up this little tale, hope if nothing else it was a different experience for you. It certainly was one for me to write.

Many thanks for reading this, as well as the favorites, follows, and reviews! Please do check out my other offerings if you haven't had the chance, most of my RWBY materiel is considerably fluffier (most, but not all).

 **FelipeCH98:** I figure between Blake's natural agility, Yang's semblance-assisted strength, and Weiss' glyph, it gave her the edge to overwhelm Adam. Might seem a little OOC, but he's not immortal. Just edgy.

 **AndyH:** Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed the run!

 **406671354:** I don't think there'd be a danger of Yang being absorbed, yes their traits have begun to rub off on each other but they remain distinct personalities. But I'm glad you liked the story!

 **growlscout:** Indeed, I had fun with the more mature leader Ruby, though it was a sucky way to gain such maturity. So very happy you considered my little experiment to be a success! Hope you still feel the same way after this last chapter!

 **Wolfenheart:** Nah, I threw in enough Yangst at the start, I think they deserve a happy ending.

Stay shiny!


End file.
